Blog by-the-Sea

Father Cantalamessa in Los Angeles this Weekend

I just learned that Father Raniero Cantalamessa, O.F.M. Cap., the Preacher of the Pontifical Household, will be speaking and saying Mass in Los Angeles this Sunday.  With apologies for not mentioning it earlier, here are the details:

Southern California Renewal Communities ("SCRC Charismatic Renewal") is presenting Father Cantalamessa's visit at Alemany High School Auditorium in Mission Hills this Sunday, January 6, from 11:30 to 4:00 p.m.  The cost is $39.  However, for young adults who cannot afford that can attend for $20 if they make arrangements in advance to be added to the list for that price.  Father Cantalamessa will be making two presentations and saying Mass.

The Weight of Glory has a summary of the event, the address, the e-mail address to request the reduced fee, and a link to download the flyer for complete information.  You can also download the flyer from the SCRC website.

The Holy Father's Letter About the California Wildfires

The following was posted today on the website of the Diocese of San Bernardino.  It is also in this Sunday's bulletin for our parish in the Diocese of San Diego, and I would guess it is also in other parishes' bulletins in the dioceses affected by the fires:

In correspondence received from the Vatican Thursday afternoon, Pope Benedict XVI offered words of encouragement and prayer for victims of last week's wildfires and for those who fought the fires.

The message, relayed by his Secretary of State, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, reads as follows,

HIS HOLINESS POPE BENEDICT XVI WAS DEEPLY SADDENED TO LEARN OF THE TRAGIC LOSS OF LIFE AND DAMAGE TO HOMES AND OTHER PROPERTIES CAUSED BY EXTENSIVE FIRES IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA AND WISHES TO EXPRESS HIS SYMPATHY AND CLOSENESS IN PRAYER TO THOSE AFFECTED. HE ALSO OFFERS HIS PRAYERFUL ENCOURAGEMENT TO THE FIRE-FIGHTERS, RESCUE WORKERS AND ALL INVOLVED IN BRINGING RELIEF AND SUPPORT TO THE VICTIMS OF THIS DISASTER. COMMENDING THE DECEASED TO THE LOVING MERCY OF ALMIGHTY GOD, HIS HOLINESS INVOKES UPON THEIR GRIEVING FAMILIES AND ALL THOSE INJURED, ABUNDANT DIVINE GRACES OF STRENGTH AND COMFORT.

Hat tip The American Papist

Thank you, all who prayed and all who fought the fires

It was wonderful to be at Mass on Saturday evening to watch the vigil light be re-lit at the first Mass held at a parish previously evacuated for the Witch Creek Fire.   Following tradition, the blessed host had been taken from the sanctuary at the time of the evacuation and moved to another parish.  Thus, when we entered the church for Saturday's Mass, the light was out and the sanctuary was open and empty. 

I do not yet know the extent of any losses of people I may know personally.  So far, all I have heard from were either evacuated and have returned home to find things normal, or else were not evacuated at all.  Some other parishioners who live further east almost surely lost their homes, and some had property stolen during the evacuation.

We must all be surely grateful that the losses were much lower than those in 2003 although the fire conditions were far worse than before.  The Union-Tribune's Fire Blog today posted the latest figures showing 1588 homes burned, 320 damaged, 7 civilian fatalities and 23 civilians injured.  Another post shows that there are no fire-related missing people in San Diego County. 

That is far lighter damage than the 2003 fires although the 2003 fires burned a much smaller geographic area.  That is partly because this year's fires arose during the day while the 2003 fires began during the night.  However, the organization of the evacuation and firefighting effort this year was remarkable and impressively executed, and that organization and communication surely deserves much of the credit.

The latest figures, linked above, also show that 93 firefighters were injured in these San Diego County fires.  They surely deserve our gratitude, as do all of the other people who worked tirelessly to protect people, animals and property during these fires.

Thanks, too, to all who have prayed and who continue their efforts to help those who have had losses of varying degrees as a result of the fires.

Smoky Moon

Well, it is good to be back at home and to know that many others are also back at home and that things are beginning to return to normal.  Tonight's full moon was a little bit orange from the smoke that still lingers.  The photo here, taken with a mobile phone camera, doesn't quite catch the color.  The smoke is gradually clearing with a very mild ocean breeze. 

I felt reassured this evening, while driving through a neighborhood that was still under mandatory evacuation this morning.  Everything seemed so normal, almost as if it hadn't happened except for a number of dry trees in one place where it seemed the fire must have come very close, the heat leaving trees very dry without actually catching them on fire.  There was a little more traffic than usual, and I thought some other people wanted to drive around and see that things were all right, or to drive further and see where the damage was.  The only really burned area that I have seen yet is the Marine Corps base along the freeway, miles from here, where there was a fire yesterday.

By this afternoon, only about 2,500 people were still evacuated at Qualcomm Stadium.  The remaining evacuees will be moved tomorrow to the Del Mar Fairgrounds, and the Chargers may play at Qualcomm on Sunday.  That seems increasingly likely as a way of reassuring people that San Diego has pulled through the worst of the past week's problems.

There is still fire in many places in southern California.  There may be more dry weather as soon as next week, although winds as strong as last week's winds seem unlikely to happen again soon.

Fire Information Update and Advice

Updated 7:17 p.m.: The advisory evacuation of Carlsbad was lifted late this afternoon, and evacuations have also been lifted in some other North San Diego County locations that no longer face fire danger.  Much of the rest of the coastal area also appears to have survived the fires with little damage, with tree branches blown into the area and a covering of ash, but few or no lost homes near the coast.  The air quality may still be a problem.  Fires are getting worse in the Lake Arrowhead area and probably in some other locations at a greater distance from where I live.  The wind seems to be dying down sooner than expected, but winds from the ocean are still not expected until Thursday, which will help the air quality.

_____________

Judging by Sitemeter and the radio and blog coverage, there are still people unsure of whether Carlsbad is under a voluntary evacuation and whether they should leave.  I am going to do a quick post for those searchers with links to other sources of information and advice based on my experience of Carlsbad 4 years ago.  Also, from my Oakland Hills Fire experience, I will give some information from experience that may help people who may have had homes damaged or lost elsewhere in the county.

San Diego Union-Tribune and its Latest Fire News Blog are good sources for general updates such as evacuation area status.  Sign-On Forums have people posting information on specific neighborhoods, including Carlsbad.  Sign-On Radio is broadcasting online, and there is a link from the Union-Tribune main page (top right). 

A San Diego County Emergency page has updated fire information from the County, including information on new evacuations.  The latest to change from voluntary to mandatory is all of Fairbanks Ranch not already under mandatory evacuation.  As of 9:30 this morning, it posted the following information about air quality in areas not under mandatory evacuation:

"All areas west of the active fires in San Diego County will be impacted by the smoke. Air quality will be the worst in and around the fires and will also be very poor downwind of the fires. The air quality levels of particulate pollution in these areas will be in the unhealthy to hazardous range. In areas that are not directly downwind of the fires, air quality levels will range from moderate to unhealthy. People living or working in these areas should take caution and attempt to protect themselves as much as possible. Air quality will be significantly better in areas east of the fires, with levels ranging from good to moderate."

The area from Highway 56 (which is several miles south of Carlsbad) north to Highway 78 (around the northern boundary of Carlsbad) and from I-5 on the west all the way to I-15 on the East were under a voluntary evacuation beginning mid-afternoon Monday.  I received a reverse 911 call and left quickly.  I heard later that it had changed to a mandatory evacuation, but the map last night still showed it as a voluntary evacuation, and I think that is correct.

Four years ago, the air quality in Carlsbad became so bad that it was entirely unbreathable, and it seemed particularly bad around I-5.  It may not be that bad this year because there seems to be more of an ocean breeze near the coast keeping the air from getting that bad around the beaches.  If the air quality is still good near the coast, you may want to evacuate today if you have not yet done so.  If the air quality is unbreathable outside, and the evacuation is only voluntary, and if your home is recently constructed and pretty airtight, then you might think of simply keeping all doors and windows closed, make sure your fireplace flu is shut, and just stay put.  The last I heard, the air was not expected to improve until Thursday, and it could get worse.  My own choice was to take the voluntary evacuation seriously and move north.

If you are in a home or hotel on the beach (west of I-5), you may not be evacuated at all. 

Orange County probably still has some hotel availability.  Check websites.  As of last night, for example, the hotels around Disneyland had room.  It is likely that those hotels will have cancellations because of people not wanting to go to Disneyland while it is smokey from fires.  The air quality in Orange County is not great because there is a fire burning in a canyon in east Orange County, although it is not as threatening as the ones in San Diego and it is partially contained.  There are also fires burning north of here in Los Angeles County, and people from there are also evacuating to Orange County. 

If you are evacuating from the fire, want a hotel room, and cannot find availability, try phoning the hotel you want directly.  They may let you have a room even if websites shows no availability.  Due to the fires, southern California hotels will probably have a number of no-shows from people coming in from out of town, and they may let you overbook or put you on a list and call you if there is a cancellation.

For anyone who has lost a home, or who knows that their home has been badly damaged:  If you are staying with friends and relatives, start checking for hotel availability for Thursday or Friday, as you will want your own space quickly.  Homeowners policies will usually pay for your reasonable added costs of living for 1 year from the date of a disaster,  so check your policy.  Some renters' policies pay for two weeks of added living expenses.  Also phone your insurance carrier, get the claim started, and expect that it will take a few days before a busy adjuster gets back to you.

Ideally, if you have lost your home, you will want a room with a kitchenette that is in the same school district or near friends who have shared losses in the same fire.  Then, this week-end or next, you should look for an apartment or rental home that you can move into while your home is being rebuilt or repaired.  You may eventually work out a deal to sell your property to your insurance carrier and use the money to buy a new home.  But even if you do that rather than rebuild, you will want to take several months to find a new home that you really want and to buy furniture and other replacement items. 

Giving yourself 6 months or so on a lease will give you the time you need to do that.  Keep in mind that the apartment or rental home that you want may not be available for several weeks, so find a hotel room where you will be comfortable for that amount of time.  Ask your insurance adjuster to advance living expenses for the first month or two, and the adjuster may write you out a check on the spot, advancing some living expenses. 

Be careful not to sign a release until all of your losses owed under your policy, including living expenses, have been paid.   Keep in mind that some insurance carriers that suffered big losses in Katrina claims may be watching their budgets more carefully than usual now, which may mean that you have to be more careful to protect your rights than may have been the case several years ago.  Hopefully, all will go well, as we will not likely have nearly that many losses.  If you have a problem, contact the State Insurance Commisioner's office or call your lawyer.  Read what you sign.

Lastly, even if you do not regularly attend church, you may want to plan for it this week-end.  It will give you a chance to be with other people who have shared a similar fire experience and who are experiencing many of the same feelings that you are feeling.  There is a link in the sidebar to the Diocese of San Diego page with information about Mass times for various parishes.  There is a map on that website showing San Diego County parishes by location to help you find one near wherever you may be this week-end.  By Sunday, churches now evacuated should be back to a regular schedule, and the pastors will surely expect that the fire will be on people's minds.

The Feast Day of "San Luis Rey de Francia"

Today is the memorial of St. Louis IX, the only canonized king of France.  Mission San Luis Rey here in San Diego County is named for St. Louis IX.  The mission's name, "San Luis Rey de Francia," is the Spanish for "St. Louis King of France."

Tonight, the mission will have its 24th annual Heritage Ball, with all proceeds going to the preservation of the mission.

The nineteenth century Fiesta de San Luis Rey near the mission, which was then in ruins, is mentioned in an earlier post about local church history.

A Penitent Blogger has a post about the saint and his impact on 13th century France, including this:

"Most importantly, for the young king, religion was not a tool – quite the contrary, everything should be in service to faith."

Fr. Saba Shofany on the Dead Sea Scrolls

As the Dead Sea Scrolls Exhibit has opened in San Diego, there are various lectures about the Scrolls.  The Diocese is offering lectures by Fr. Saba Shofany, Ph.D., STD, is a Melkite priest who is an adjunct professor of theology and religious studies at the University of San Diego.

The diocesan newspaper, the Southern Cross, has an online article about Fr. Shofany's presentation titled Dead Sea Scrolls Provide Insight Into Birth of Christian Thought, written by Ann Aubrey-Hansen.  Fr. Shofany, she says, believes that the writings between 200 b.c. and 100 a.d., including some of the Dead Sea Scrolls, show that Judaism in Palestine was waiting for the Messiah at the time when Jesus was born.  The scrolls "have added to our understanding of the Jewish background of Christianity."

Fr. Shofany's presentation will be offered at the Diocesan Pastoral Center in San Diego on July 22 and October 17.  Registration is required and can be completed online.  Fr. Shofany is the author of The Melkites at the Vatican Council II: Contribution of the Melkite Prelates to Vatican Council II.

Independence Day

At Against the Grain, Christopher Blosser has compiled a terrific round-up of Catholic blog posts on yesterday's Independence Day.  They range from a link to the Declaration of Independence, to a post raising the question of whether the American Revolution was a just war, poems by Carl Sandburg and Ralph Waldo Emerson, a quote from John Paul II, and a post about what is right with America, among others.

You Tube video: Last night's Independence Day fireworks in San Diego.

Dead Sea Scrolls Video

There is a video about the upcoming San Diego Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit, and about the history of the Dead Sea Scrolls, available to download on the museum website here.  Scheduled to run from June 29 to December 31, the San Diego exhibit is expected to be the biggest Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit ever, including some things that have not been shown before.

Lectures for the Dead Sea Scrolls Exhibition

I have added a number of things for the coming year to the Blog by-the-Sea Calendar, including lectures related to the Dead Sea Scrolls Exhibition.  The San Diego Natural History Museum will host the exhibition beginning June 29, 2007.  The Museum's page on the exhibit includes additional information about the history of the Dead Sea Scrolls and the exhibition.  The exhibition will include 24 Dead Sea Scrolls, including 10 that have never been displayed before.  It will also include artifacts from Qumran, the excavation equipment used in the 1950's, and other items mentioned on the museum website.  Rules related to exhibiting the scrolls allow them to be displayed for no more than 3 months.  In this case, 12 of them will be exhibited for the first 3 months, followed by the other 12 included in the 6-month exhibit.  It is expected to be the most extensive exhibition of the Dead sea Scrolls ever in the United States.

The museum itself is sponsoring a series of lectures, and other lectures will be offered by local Jewish and Christian sponsors.  The Agency for Jewish Education of San Diego County offers some of the earliest lectures, beginning January 21.  Point Loma Nazarene University will offer several lectures about the scrolls from February 5 to 7 by Dr. James C. VanderKam of the University of Notre Dame.  Dr. VanderKam will also speak in the museum's lecture series, among a long list of renowned lecturers who are scheduled to speak during the 6-month exhibition.

As time permits (once every few week-ends), I add things to the calendar that are Church-related or that I think may be events of interest to Catholics and their families.  Some of them are wholesome family outings, others are week-end retreats, and others are concerts and museum exhibits with themes of interest to Catholics.  I am hoping that the calendar will be particularly helpful to people who may come to see the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit and may be interested in other faith-related things to do in the area while they are here.

If you have events that you would like to have me add to the calendar, please send me an e-mail (address in the sidebar).

If you can get to California in the coming year . . .

If you have been thinking about visiting California, and have an interest in Church history, 2007 may be an exceptionally good time to take that vacation or pilgrimage.  From now until the beginning of March, the Getty Museum in Los Angeles has an exhibit of icons from the Monastery of St. Catherine on Mt. Sinai in Egypt.  This is only the second time the monks have allowed the icons to be removed from the monastery and shown anywhere else in the world.  The museum built a relationship with the monks and won their approval, and some of the monks came out with the exhibit.  They occasionally walk through to see how people are reacting to the icons.  The oldest is an icon of St. Peter from the sixth century.  These are Byzantine icons that are usually on the monastery walls in Egypt, where very few people would be able to see them.

In July 2007, San Diego will have an exhibit of the Dead Sea Scrolls.  Again, it will be a rare opportunity to see and learn about these important artifacts.

Click on "see all" in the Blog Calendar in the sidebar for more information.  The calendar entries for the Getty Museum all have links that will take you to the Getty Museum web pages with more information.  The entry for the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit will take you to a page with the dates and location.  I will add more information as it becomes available.

Photos of Local Retreat Houses

I have added 2 new photo albums to the sidebar.  One is a collection of photos from Prince of Peace Benedictine Abbey in Oceanside, California, taken when I spent a week-end there this past August.  The other is a collection of photos from the El Carmelo Carmelite Retreat center in Redlands, California, taken during the OCDS retreat this week-end.

This photo: A picture of St. Thérèse of Lisieux with candles, taken at night in the chapel at El Carmelo.

What you could do tomorrow . . .

The Blog's Calendar (right sidebar) only mentions the Fiesta of the Bells in San Diego as a Saturday event, and it actually continues on Sunday afternoon.  So it would be possible for tourists to to spend a few hours at the Fiesta of the Bells and then go to the Gregorian Chant Vespers which starts at 3:30 at a different church.

Also, as of this moment, it appears that the diocese website is down, making it harder to find the Mass schedules for local parishes.

For web surfing tourists in San Diego, here are some links for Sunday:

Mission Events Page for the Mission Basilica of San Diego de Alcala

The Fiesta of the Bells (a good family event) goes from 10:00 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Saturday, and from noon to 5:00 p.m. on Sunday.  A blessing for the animals is scheduled for Sunday at 3:00.  The Mission's Mass Schedule gives several choices for Sunday, but mission tours are only scheduled from Monday through Thursday. 

For the Gregorian Chant Vespers, the Chorus Breviarii website now has the time specified as 3:30, which I confirmed with the church by phone last week.  That is at St. John the Evangelist Church in University Heights in San Diego.  The University Heights neighborhood is about 6 miles from the mission, so you will need to allow some travel time between the two. 

Here are the driving directions from the Mission to St. John the Evangelist.

San Diego News Notes has a monthly column called Roamin' Roman with descriptions of various Diocese of San Diego parishes (a hesitate to call them "reviews"). 

Also, I have an earlier post with North San Diego County parish Holy Week and Easter Schedules.  Click on the links there for the parish names.  The Easter Mass times may not be the correct times for the rest of the year.  However, the links should take you to parish websites to get the current Mass Schedule.  Here are a couple of choices closer to San Diego hotels:

Our Lady of the Rosary (Little Italy, downtown San Diego)

St. Agnes Catholic Church (Evergreen Street, near Shelter Island and Point Loma)

Church of the Immaculate Conception (Old Town)

There are no weekly Tridentine High Masses for summer by San Diego's Latin Tridentine Mass Congregation, and those will resume in September.  The blog calendar here in the right sidebar will usually list Gregorian Chant Masses when I know about them.

Justice Kennedy Issues 4-Page Opinion Staying Order on Mt. Soledad Cross

Updated July 10 with downloadable court opinion:

On Frirday, July 7, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy issued a 4-page opinion explaining the order he issued on Monday temporarily staying a federal court's order to remove the cross from the Mt. Soledad War Memorial.  You can download Justice Kennedy's 4-Page Opinion as a .pdf file.  The Opinion found that although such a stay application is rarely granted, the stay was appropriate in this case.  The stay may be brief, because appellate courts are expediting appeals.  Additional factors mentioned in the opinion are (1) a recent Act of Congress that deemed the monument a "national memorial honoring veterans of the United States Armed Forces" and that authorized the Secretary of the Interior to take title to it if the city offers to donate it, which occurred after the Court of Appeals' previous decisions in this case, and (2) the ballot proposition approved by San Diego voters authorizing the donation of the monument to the United States.  While a Superior Court order invalidated the ballot proposition as unconstitutional, that order is on appeal, and the Court of Appeals has issued an order expediting that appeal.

There is also an article by Greg Moran in Friday's San Diego Union-Tribune about the decision.

Alpacas from the County Fair

Alpacas and a baby calf named "Shampoo" from the County Fair.  It was kind of a long day, in between Mass in the morning and the fair in the afternoon, followed by dinner out, and all with an injured foot, but still  fun.

New Sidebar Book List and Events Calendar

There are 2 new features in the sidebar now. 

First, I added a 32-book collection in Library Thing.  For now, at least, it is a collection of books that may be of interest to people who are thinking about becoming Catholic.  The books in the list are also good reading for Catholics, including several by Pope Benedict XVI and Louis Bouyer, among other authors.  The list was compiled from a combination of sources, including Pontifications' lists of books for people exploring Catholicism and for Episcopalian priests who are becoming Catholic priests, some suggestions from comments on Pontifications that were from authors I respect, the list previously compiled by our Church of the Nativity's Disciples in Mission facilitators for Catholic parishioners who want to broaden their knowledge of their faith, and a few recommendations of my own. 

In the Library Thing page, if you click on a book, you will see several options.  If you want to buy the book, select "amazon", and you will be taken to the amazon.com page offering the book.  If you want to find the book at a library or shop for a used copy, select "social info", and then look at the options in blue at the top left of the page that opens.  You can click on "OCLC find at a library" and enter your zip code, and the site will let you know if there is a copy in a library near you.  You can also click on "abebooks" or "alibris" to search more sites than amazon for a used copy.  Additionally, if you click on the number of members who have listed the same book in their Library things lists, you will see a list of other books similarly tagged.

The other new feature here is an Events Calendar primarily for southern California events of interest to Catholics.  In the next week or so, I will also add some events of national and international interest, such as the upcoming papal journey to Spain, perhaps with links to the EWTN page with TV broadcast times.  The "Upcoming Events from Blog's Calendar" feature is at the very bottom of the sidebar.  The events include such things as retreats at the Mission San Luis Rey, the Coronation Mass at the Mainly Mozart Festival, a Getty Museum exhibit about the Cult of the Saints, a Gregorian Chant Ladymass, and such wholesome family activities as Family Day at the County Fair.  You can e-mail me if you have an event that you would like to have me add, or if you see any errors in the calendar (e-mail link in sidebar).

To keep the main column as long as the sidebar, I have increased the number of recent posts that will show up on the main page to 15.

Dia de la Familia at the San Diego County Fair

Sundays through July 2:  The North County Times reported last Sunday that one very popular event at this year's San Diego County Fair is Family Day (Dia de la Familia) at the Del Mar Fairgrounds' "Plaza de Mexico."  This past Sunday's event was reportedly standing room only, as people flocked to the smell of Mexican foods and Latino music in a family friendly environment.  The County Fair's Dia de la Familia page says the event will be a part of every Sunday's fair at the Del Mar Fairgrounds.  The music is free with the price of admission except for the Mariachi Festival, which requires tickets.  The schedule for the Latino music on the grandstand is:

Sunday, June 11 — Los Tucanes de Tijuana
Sunday, June 18 — Voces del Rancho & Valentín Elizalde
Sunday, June 25 — Grupo Montez De Durango y La Banda Machos
Sunday, July 2 — ¡Viva El Mariachi! Festival©

Photo: Ballet Folklorico, one of the acts performing at Dia de la Familia according to the Fair's website, is shown here performing in Guadalajara.  Photo by Bill Bell in: Mexico - On the Road In.  Photo is copyright protected and used by permission.

Thomas More Law Center Joins Fight Over Mt. Soledad Cross

The Catholic News Agency reports:  "Thomas More Law Center Fights to Keep Cross in War Memorial."  The Law Center, located in An Arbor, Michigan, has reportedly filed a 49-page brief in the California Court of Appeals, seeking to assist a San Diego organization in its efforts to keep the cross in the war memorial located atop Mount Soledad in San Diego County.  76% of San Diego voters recently voted to approve a sale of the land to the U.S. Government in order to protect the monument.  A federal court's decision rejection the election result as contrary to California's state constitution could possibly be overturned if the California state court of appeals reaches a different decision on the requirements of the state constitution.  Presently, the greatest hope of ending the dispute, which has gone on for years, is that the U.S. Government will take the cross by its powers of eminent domain.

Memorial Day Week-End Photos

There are some photos of the beach on Memorial Day Week-End posted near the bottom of the right sidebar.  I will leave them up for a week or two and then move a few to the "Pictures of the Sea" collection. 

Welcome to Catholics Planning a Visit to Southern California

However I was listed in a car insurance website's list of "French Language Pages" (here it is cached), gee thanks -- bit of a stretch though -- it reminded me that there will be bishops and others visiting Los Angeles a few weeks from now from elsewhere in the U.S. who may have a little bit of free time, and Catholics planning to spend part of their summer in southern California. 

Here are a few links for sites that might interest Catholics visiting southern California this summer.   I will probably add to it and move this post up as the summer goes on.

Memorial Day Week-End (May 27-29, 2006)

The San Diego Union-Tribune has a list of Memorial Day 2006 San Diego County events. 

May 29 at 9:00 a.m. -  Memorial Day Outdoor Mass at Mission San Luis Rey, Oceanside

Baseball Games - May 27 and 28 - Padres vs. Cardinals (think about it).  San Diego Petco Park.  Today's game will be on Fox at 1:05 p.m. Pacific.

All Summer 2006

Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, Los Angeles

Mission San Luis Rey, Oceanside -- The latest newsletter says that from March 2005 to March 2006, visitors from all 50 states of the U.S. and 55 countries visited Mission San Luis Rey's museum.

Mission San Antonio de Pala, Pala Indian Reservation, San Diego County

Mission San Diego de Alcala, San Diego -- "California's first church"

J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles.  The Getty's art collection includes some centuries old Catholic artwork.  For specific exhibits of interest, see the June and July calendars below.

Getty Villa, Malibu -- All summer, the Malibu Getty Villa will house the collection of Greek and Roman art, including approximately 44,000 Greek, Roman, and Etruscan objects, of which 1,200 will be on view.

Prince of Peace Abbey, Oceanside - a Franciscan abbey with a quiet chapel and an outdoor prayer walk.  Retreats can be arranged.

June 2006

All month - "The Cult of the Saints" exhibit at the Getty Museum, Los Angeles - The exhibition features art from ca. 476 to 1517 on the theme of the Cult of the Saints.  Also, Glassmaking in Antiquity.

4 June - 4:00 p.m., organ concert by Hector Olivera (an international concert organist, part of the Great Music on the Great Organs Concert Series) at First Congregational Church of Los Angeles

10 June - 6:00 p.m., Gospel Jubilee, Ford Amphitheatre, Los Angeles

14 June - noon, Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, Los Angeles, weekday organ recital with Etienne Walhain

19 June - Quiet Day, Mission San Luis Rey, Oceanside

23 June - Mozart's Mass in C Major (Coronation Mass) and Requiem Mass presented by the Mainly Mozart Festival at Catedral de Guadalupe, Segunda and Niños Heroes, Tijuana, Mexico

24 June - Mozart's Mass in C Major (Coronation Mass) and Requiem Mass presented by the Mainly Mozart Festival at Copley Symphony Hall, San Diego

25 June - Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, Los Angeles, 250th Mozart Anniversary Prayer Service and Concert (Coronation Mass with the Cathedral Choir)  

July 2006

1 to 16 July - "The Cult of the Saints" exhibit at the Getty Museum, Los Angeles - The exhibition features art from ca. 476 to 1517 on the theme of the Cult of the Saints, through July 16.  Also, Glassmaking in Antiquity through July 24.

14 July - "Art as Meditation", Summer Mondays with Mark Schroeder, ofm, at Mission San Luis Rey, Oceanside

15 July - Fiesta of the Bells, Mission San Diego de Alcala, San Diego -- food, games, music (old rock & roll and swing)

16 July (Sunday) - Fiesta of the Bells, Mission San Diego de Alcala, San Diego -- food, games, music (old rock & roll and swing), Noon - Anniversary Mass with Mission Choir, 3:00 p.m. Blessing of the Animals

17 July - Quiet Day, Mission San Luis Rey, Oceanside

19 July - 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm, Twilight Retreat on "Jesus the Christ as the Center of Family Life" with Mark Schroeder, ofm, and Joan and Dan Wiebe from Mesa, AZ,Mission San Luis Rey, Oceanside

20 July - The Lord of the Rings Symphony at Summer Pops, presented at Copley Symphony Hall with Howard Shores' music from the Lord of the Rings films

21 July - 7:00 p.m. Hamlet, presented by "Shakespeare by the Sea" in Polliwog Park, Manhattan Beach.   Check link for other times and locations.  For information on whether Shakespeare was Catholic, see the Catholic Encyclopedia, which mentions Hamlet's references to purgatory and the last sacraments.

24 July - "Art as Meditation", Summer Mondays with Mark Schroeder, ofm, at Mission San Luis Rey, Oceanside

31 July - "Art as Meditation", Summer Mondays with Mark Schroeder, ofm, at Mission San Luis Rey, Oceanside

August 2006

4 August - 7:00 p.m., one-hour guided tour of masterpieces of European sculpture from the 14th to 20th centuries at the Norton Simon Museum, Pasadena.

5 August - 7:00 p.m., Hamlet, presented by "Shakespeare by the Sea" in Grant Howald Park, Newport Beach.   Check link for other times and locations.  For information on whether Shakespeare was Catholic, see the Catholic Encyclopedia, which mentions Hamlet's references to purgatory and the last sacraments. 

14 August - Summer Mondays, "The Book of Revelation: Apocalyptic Spirituality Revealed" with Tom Herbst, ofm, Mission San Luis Rey, Oceanside

16 - Twilight Retreat, 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., Mission San Luis Rey, Oceanside, "Is the Da Vinci Code 'Really Drivel?" with Tom Herbst, ofm (Tom Herbst teaches systematic theology at the Franciscan International Study Centre in Canterbury, England.)

18 August - 7:00 p.m., Concert: "Early Music Among Old Masters"  presented by  Musica Angelica on period instruments in the galleries of the Norton Simon Museum, Pasadena (The museum website advises early arrival for this concert, as they may not be able to accommodate everyone who would like to attend). 

21 August - Quiet Day, Mission San Luis Rey, Oceanside

21 August - Summer Mondays, Mission San Luis Rey, "The Book of Revelation: Apocalyptic Spirituality Revealed" with Tom Herbst, ofm, Mission San Luis Rey

28  August - Summer Mondays, Mission San Luis Rey, "The Book of Revelation: Apocalyptic Spirituality Revealed" with Tom Herbst, ofm, Mission San Luis Rey

The Cross as a War Memorial: Mount Soledad

I have had mixed feelings about whether it was a good idea to blog about San Diego's controversy over the cross atop Mount Soledad.  The primary reason for the mixed feelings is that, if I write about it in what is primarily a Catholic blog, it might give credence to the argument that people supporting that cross do so for religious reasons which should not be supported by the city government.  The mayor is arguing in favor of keeping the cross where it is based in large part on the position that the cross on Mount Soledad is a beloved war memorial which has value to the people of San Diego separate and apart from its value to Christians as a religious symbol.  I don't want to say anything in support of the cross if the effect would be to further the interests of the people who oppose the cross.  Thus the quandary.

Yesterday, Steve Weatherby wrote an article in the National Catholic Register entitled "A Cross to Bear: Battle Continues Over War Memorial Constitutionality". 

U.S. federal law is more permissive than California state law is about such matters.  One effort to resolve the 17-year conflict has involved a request that the U.S. government take over the monument so that the war memorial can be preserved, taking it out from under the authority of California's more secular state law.  So far, that request has not been granted.  Meanwhile, a court has imposed a  fine of $5,000 per day for every day that the cross remains standing, based upon the court's finding that the cross was a religious symbol owned by the city in violation of California law. 

In a local election, 76% of the voters voted in favor of transferring the war memorial to the federal government to protect it, and a judge rejected the vote as religiously motivated.  However, it is difficult to define that religious motivation.  It is probably not true that 76% of San Diegans are personally very religious, or specifically Christian.  Certainly, Christians have mobilized to protect the cross, but not only Christians have mobilized to protect it.  As mentioned in Steven Weatherby's article, the Jewish had of one interfaith organization supporting the cross, cast the issue as one of "the ability of people to express their faith in the public square". 

Historically, California traces its roots back to Franciscan missions including the Mission San Luis Rey in north San Diego County and the Mission San Diego de Alcala in San Diego.  The Mission "San Antonio de Pala" (named for St. Anthony de Paula, on the Pala Indian Reservation) still has much of its rustic Indian mission feeling, although it now stands only about a mile from one of the finest casinos and spas in California.  The "mission Indians" in San Diego County became very westernized Catholics before the missions were closed, and the Mission San Antonio is still an active Catholic parish on the Pala Indian reservation today.

In many ways culturally descended from the Spanish Franciscan padres who founded the missions, with some of the descendants of the original Spanish dons still living in San Diego County, San Diego's cultural heritage is perhaps more like that of Europe than some other parts of the U.S.  Crosses and mission bells still hold their meaning as Christian symbols, and they also hold their meaning as symbols of the region's cultural heritage. 

It is an issue difficult to define and easily over-simplified.  If someone were to assert that the crosses on graves in a military cemetery were religious symbols, it would be both correct and an oversimplified assertion.  We all know that the crosses stand for our faith in life beyond the grave in Christ, but in so doing they stand for something else that is very Christian, which is the great value placed on each individual life, an understanding that each one was created in the image of God, and the hope that they will find peace beyond the grave who died amid the conflict of war.  People who might not place a cross on the grave of a loved one who had died in a car accident will want to see a cross on the grave of that same person if he or she died in combat.  The cross that means salvation from our sins also means peace that Christ can give, peace amid worldly conflict, and peace beyond the grave when there was no peace in this life.

If the cross being removed were in city administration buildings or the courthouse, I do not think removing it would be so controversial in San Diego.  When what was once called "Christmas on the Prado" was renamed "December Nights" a few years ago, it attracted only modest protest.  The cross at the war memorial means something different, appealing to the hearts of many people who might not care as much if the cross were elsewhere, and yet something that has been difficult to define in the context of the applicable constitutional issue and rules of law. 

It has, I think, something to do with that wish for peaceful solitude that gave Mount Soledad its name, the sense of Our Lady of Solitude who gave her name to one of the California missions (Nuestra Senora de Soledad, one of the northern California missions).  The devotion to Mary as Our Lady of Solitude remembers her grief on Holy Saturday, between the Crucifixion and the Resurrection.  The natural park where the war memorial is situated probably derives its name from the memory' of Mary's solitude and grief.  In a city, it is also a place of quiet.  Easter sunrise services held at Mount Soledad remember the Resurrection, and have met with objections from atheists.  The hope for silence, for peace, for one who died in conflict, is interlinked with our sense of what it is to be a person in a sometimes dehumanizing situation.  Since construction of the war memorial cross in the 1950's, Mount Soledad has been associated with remembering the resurrection.

The concept that the government can force a community to remove that symbol of humanity and hope from a war memorial is troubling in itself, for reasons that are Christian from many perspectives not readily articulated to answer a legal standard.  When political correctness and an anti-Christian secularism moves too far too fast, it runs the risk of throwing out not only the faith of the Christian community who will naturally be the first to protest it, but also throwing out much of what our faith holds dear that has to do with the value of a life, self-sacrificial love, and peace.  There is a form of memory of the community in that symbol that cannot be expressed in the same way by a memorial wall or some other secular symbol.  The attempt by a government to reject all such statements of faith stands in the way of Christians' ability to express their faith in the public square.  It also negates a deeper, less readily defined message of faith that has to do with hope and the value of a human life.

Del Mar National Hunter/Jumper Week

This is the last week of the Del Mar National Horse Show.  The event website is here.  A webcam will give you a glimpse online.

Clip art from Equixotic.

 

Del Mar National Horse Show

The Del Mar National Horse Show begins this week.  Western Week started yesterday and runs through Sunday, followed by Dressage Week April 27 to 30, and then Hunter/Jumper Week May 2 to 7. 

Click here for the Del Mar National Horse Show Webcam

(Click on the button on the webcam page to control the camera.)

Del Mar National Horse Show Webpage

Clip art from Equixotic.

Carlsbad Flower Fields Season Schedule

Here are a few photos I took this week-end at the Carlsbad Flower Fields, which are open this year to May 7, seven days a week. 

Special Events scheduled include Kids Day on April 1, an Arts and Crafts Fair on April  22-23, and other special events listed on this page. The flowers in the first 2 photographs are ranunculus plants known as Tecolote Giant Ranunculus.  The last of the three photos shows part of the sweet pea maze.

Weather Report: Snow in San Diego (Not Much)

Parts of San Diego County are actually getting a little snow right now, with a cold winter storm coming through.  Here are a few photos from the San Diego Union-Tribune of snow on Palomar Mountain and other high elevations.  The evening TV news last night showed hail somewhere in Carlsbad (not here), lightening striking a model home not far from here (haven't heard any thunder) and a minor tornado touching down in north Encinitas near Carlsbad (didn't see that either).  More from the North County Times.  As described there, this little storm hits for a few minutes, with hail or lightening in one place and a gentle, light rain in another, and then moves on, leaving sun for a while before it comes around again.

For all the forecasts of lightening and thunder, hail and tornadoes, all I have seen is a periodic light rain and a couple of mud puddles.  Must be dismal for the tourists who came here for the sun, only to wind up on the beach in one of our short spells of real winter weather. 

North San Diego County in the Olympics

Several local athletes are featured in this week's Olympics competitions.

Snowboarder Shaun White (the "Flying Tomato"), who lives here in Carlsbad, won the gold medal today in the men's halfpipe competition.   The Yahoo page on Shaun is here.  An article on his gold medal winning competition is here.  His U.S. teammate Danny Kass won the silver.

Pairs skater John Baldwin went to high school in Poway.  He and his partner, Rena Inoue, placed sixth last night in the short program, a good showing for the American pair who went to Torino hoping to place in the top ten after the free program on Monday.  Here is a link to the Yahoo sports page with some past accomplishments.  The San Francisco Chronicle has a nice article about Baldwin and Inoue today.

Mainly Mozart at Nativity

This year's Mainly Mozart Festival in San Diego will include three all Mozart concerts of chamber music in a Thursday night series at Nativity Catholic Church in Rancho Santa Fe, California. 

Tickets are $35 each or $75 for the series by calling Mainly Mozart at 619-239-0100 and from the Mainly Mozart website, which also offers a schedule of the entire season's offerings at various venues in San Diego County. 

The schedule for the three concerts at Church of the Nativity is:

February 9 at 7:00 p.m.        Pianist Paul Badura-Skoda, a Viennese master, in recital

February 23 at 7:00 p.m.      The Mainly Mozart Piano Quartet

March 23 at 7:00 p.m.          The Altenburg Trio, in residence at Vienna's Conservatory   

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!  I hope that one and all have had a blessed Advent and will have a joyful Christmas!

I have added a gallery of photographs taken today at Church of the Nativity in Rancho Santa Fe, California.  I moved that gallery up toward the top of the right column so that everyone would be sure to notice it.  Nativity Church is a Vatican II church, built only a couple of decades ago, and it is often considered an architectural and artistic example of how beautiful and worshipful a modern Catholic church building can truly be.  Please take time to enjoy the photographs, and join us for mass when you can.   

By the way, when you look at the photo albums here, you may notice that the thumbnail photos do not look whole.  However, if you click on the thumbnails, you will see the entire picture.  That is why, for example, one of the pictures of a cross at the top of the church looks cut-off in the thumbnails.  It is just the way the software created the thumbnail.  If you click on the picture, you will see the entire cross and all that surrounds it.

What to do on a foggy afternoon

At least one creature I know has the right idea, although it is my cat.  A good many of the people around here, went out to look at the big waves that came in, waves bigger than we see here except once every few years or so, some of them 15 or 20 feet high. 

I had hoped to get some good pictures of the big waves but, alas, I can neither spend the time sitting by the fire nor spend it on the beach in the middle of what is still a work week.  And so I finally got away to the beach at 3:00 this afternoon in a nice, white business suit and 3-inch heals but with my camera and some decent film. 

                                                                                       Unfortunately, the huge waves had settled down by then, and the fog had rolled in.  So, to see photos of the excitement caused by really big waves, here' is a link to the North County Times article.  I added a few photos to the "Pictures of the Sea" photo album (at the bottom of the right column).  There may be more big waves the day after Christmas, so maybe I can get another chance.  Or I could settle down with a cat and a good book and watch the fire instead.